The KochiNow Blog

Decks cleared for the reopening of Trayons

Staff Reporter

Promoters, unions sign agreement to this effect

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Settlement with bankers nearly clinched

All employees will be taken back

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KOCHI: Travancore Rayons Limited (Trayons) has moved one step closer to its reopening with the new promoters of the company and the labour unions signing an agreement at Aluva Palace on Tuesday.

A spokesman for Rayons Samrakshana Samithi said the conditions were ripe for the much-awaited reopening of the rayons unit.

The main conditions for the reopening were the agreements with the company’s bankers and the workers.

The samithi spokesman said the settlement with the bankers had nearly been clinched. Full Story

Land acquisition to be notified soon

Special Correspondent

Agreement on alternative land for evictees

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`Land-for-land’ clause being included in package for first time

Agreement to be approved by the Cabinet

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KOCHI: The State Government is expected to notify in a few days acquisition of roughly 5 hectares of land from 58 families in the Edachira area of Thrikkakara panchayat for the Smart City project.

Representatives of the Government, the district administration and local units of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) reached an agreement with the evictees’ forum on Monday night on the quantum of land to be given as compensation. The agreement will be discussed and approved by the Cabinet, following which it will be notified in the Gazette.

The “land-for-land” clause is being included in a compensation package for the first time in the State. Usually, when the Government acquires land, evictees are paid compensation and, occasionally, given other benefits, such as job offers. Full Story - The Hindu

Sobha group has jacked up their investment in Cochin’s Hi-Tech
city to Rs.15,000 cr. One of the biggest ever real estate investment
in India. Even Tissur has got a feel of Kochi’s investment heat.

Aerospace industry may fly in
Wednesday May 9 2007 14:02 IST

T’PURAM: TASE (Trusted Aerospace and Engineering), a global giant engaged in the manufacturing and engineering service for aerospace industry, has zeroed in on Kochi to set up a facility, reiterating the basic concept that Smart City is indeed an important signal to the investment community all over the world.

TASE, a consortium of four international aerospace companies based in Singapore, deals with components, fabrications and engineering services in the aerospace industry.

The company is currently setting up a facility in Chennai in collaboration with Bodycote, a leader in the supply of aircraft components. The Chennai facility expects a turnover of $40 million a year.

“We think Kochi has the potential to become an air-hub because of its geographical and economic stature. Other than the airways, it’s got a sea-route as an added advantage. What we need is the infrastructure assistance from the government and we look forward to joining hands with other prospectors too,” K Abhilash, Executive Director of JCS Vanilla, one of the companies in the consortium, said.

The other members of the consortium are Quintegra, HB-Medtek and Kerus.

According to sources, TASE has shown keen interest in Kochi due to three factors - an emerging economy in the backdrop of the LDF Government’s decision to go ahead with the Smart City project, the potential of Nedumbassery Airport and the huge value addition worth thousands of crores to the Kochi port and its shipment facilities.

“India is going to be a major player in aerospace business in the coming years,” Mathew K Mathai, the president of TASE, said. Another thing that has attracted TASE to Kochi is the availability of human resource down here.

“Bangalore is too crowded and Thiruvananthapuram means more travel. Kochi has also a better industrial culture,” they think.

TASE will be approaching the State Government with a proposal as soon as its Chennai facility gets matured. The company has among its clients Rolls-Royce, GE Aircraft Engines, Honeywell and Pratt & Whitney. Full Story from New Ind. Xpress

KGL builders

Work on laying sub-sea pipeline completed

Staff Reporter

It is A major breakthrough for Kochi Refinery

KOCHI: Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (BPCL)-Kochi Refinery has completed laying 19.4 km of sub-sea pipes off the Puthuvype coast to link the single point mooring (SPM) crude oil reception facility to the tank farm located on the shore.

The welding and laying of 1,600, 48-inch pipes, weighing 25 tonnes each, was a challenging task. Leighton Contractors Ltd., an Indo-Malaysian joint venture, carried out the work on the single buoy mooring facility.

A communication from the company said here that the buoy, weighing 280 tonnes had been despatched from Batam in Singapore where it was fabricated. It is expected to reach Kochi next week. The Hindu full story

HUDCO project: trial run likely this month-end

Renu Ramanath

KOCHI: The trial run of Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO)-assisted Water Supply Augmentation Project, which is expected to be a solution for the water shortage in city and suburbs to a great extent, is likely to be conducted by the end of May or the beginning of June.

Work on the project, over which several mass agitations had been staged, started around 12 years ago, but was lagging due to many obstacles. The pipe laying work for the project taking water to West Kochi entered the final phase with the laying of pipelines across the Sahodaran Ayyappan Road that started last week.

Laying pipeline across S.A. Road for the interconnection between the pipes along the Kaloor-Kadavanthra Road and K.P. Vallon Road was part of the last phase of the work. The work was completed on one-half of the road, according to Susan Jacob, Chief Engineer, Central Zone, Kerala Water Authority (KWA). Full Story - The Hindu

Nanoscience gets a major boost at Cusat

Staff Reporter

University introduces postgraduate programme on the subject this year

KOCHI : Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat) has plans to convert the newly-launched Centre for Nanoscience and Technology into a full-fledged department in 2008-09.

The centre has introduced a postgraduate programme (M.Sc.) in nanoscience and technology this year. Fifteen students will get admission for the programme. They will have to clear the Common Admission Test (CAT) conducted by the university.

“There is good response for the M.Sc. programme. It is the first of its kind in the State,” said Vice-Chancellor P.K. Abdul Azis. More than 50 students had applied for the programme after the university authorities issued a notification recently.

Several other students, who had applied for subjects like chemistry and physics, kept nanoscience and technology as second option.

Dr. Azis said the Department of Polymer Science and Rubber Technology would coordinate the activities of the centre. He said the centre would be developed into a full-fledged department in 2008-09. Full Story from The Hindu

Smart City pact next week

Pioneer News Service | Thiruvananthapuram

The final agreement for the proposed Smart City IT project for Kochi is likely to be signed between the State Government and Dubai-based promoters Technology and Media Free Zone (Tecom) next week.

Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan, while briefing the media about the decisions of a Cabinet meeting here on Wednesday, said that Tecom authorities had informed that the pact could be signed on May 9 or 10.

The Government had asked Tecom to decide on an appropriate date, he said.

When the Government was informed of Tecom’s willingness to set up the Rs 15 billion IT facility, there was expectation that the agreement would be signed on April 30. Full Story